A 42-year-old Hayward man has been found guilty of attempting to aid and abet possession with intent to distribute cocaine in a scheme to smuggle drugs through San Francisco International Airport (SFO), announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon.
Lemack Bellot was found guilty of two counts of attempting to aid and abet possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The verdicts followed a week-long trial before the Honorable Vince Chhabria, United States District Judge.
The government presented evidence that Bellot attempted to facilitate the smuggling of cocaine through SFO in May 2018 and in November 2018. Unbeknownst to Bellot, the shipments were not actually cocaine because he was negotiating with a confidential source (CS) working for the DEA.
Bellot made a variety of arrangements to help the CS smuggle cocaine through SFO over an eight-month period between March and November of 2018. The CS was posing as an Atlanta-based drug trafficker who would fly to the Bay Area to buy cocaine and needed a quick way to transport it back to Atlanta for distribution.
Bellot and the CS agreed to use Bellot’s new smuggling connection and remained in contact over the next eight months as Bellot set up various schemes to smuggle cocaine through the airports. In February 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Bellot for attempting to aid and abet the possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and attempting to aid and abet the possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
The jury found Bellot guilty of both counts. Judge Chhabria has not yet set a date for Bellot’s sentencing hearing. Bellot faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution, for the first count and a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a fine of $500,000 for the second count.
This investigation and prosecution is part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement (OCDETF) Section, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA.
Bellot, 42, of Hayward, Calif., attempted to aid and abet possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and attempted to aid and abet the possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(ii)(II), and 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A)(ii)(II), respectively.
Lemack Bellot, 42, of Hayward, Calif., faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution, for the first count and a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a fine of $500,000 for the second count. Bellot also faces a term of supervised release following imprisonment, restitution, and additional assessments.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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